Al-Mudaifer to Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi Phosphate Contributes 25% to Global Food Security

Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Mining Affairs during his participation in the Future Minerals Forum (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Mining Affairs Eng. Khalid Al-Mudaifer said that the Kingdom’s contribution to global food security is about 25 percent of phosphate fertilizers, which feed nearly a billion people daily in the world.
Saudi Arabia is focusing on exploiting minerals that can build an advanced industry, including phosphate, which is used in manufactured fertilizers, and is interested in purchasing the material from agricultural countries or those seeking to achieve food security.
“We established a mining system and built it from scratch,” Al-Mudaifer told Asharq Al-Awsat, emphasizing efforts to use the Kingdom’s huge wealth to achieve a positive impact on the national economy, as well as reduce the environmental and social effects of mining exploitation.
The Saudi official pointed to the Kingdom’s major projects and strategies, all of which require mining materials such as iron, cement and aluminum, stressing that the sector’s priority was to become a basic enabler of very large industries such as cars and aircraft, at reasonable costs.
He added that one of the goals of Vision 2030 was economic diversification, in terms of oil, mining, industry and tourism, which all contribute to the national economy.
Although Saudi Arabia has entered the mining sector at a late stage, Al-Mudaifer said that the country benefited from previous global experiences to adopt a system that empowers the investor and the environment at the same time and supports the local economy.
In this context, he highlighted the importance of cooperation between countries in this field to support supply chains through increased investments and capacity building, as these two elements are necessary to meet the growing demand for strategic minerals globally.
Al-Mudaifer went on to say that the current production in the world was not sufficient to meet future demand, adding that the mining sector was in urgent need of investments amounting to $5 trillion, to bridge the gap and enhance support for critical minerals, as well as developing infrastructure, services and electric energy production.